Thursday, March 24, 2016

Was this a mammoth PAP propaganda exercise?

Ever so often we find the filial sonny boy Lee Hsien Loong trying to revive the memory of his late famous or infamous father Lee Kuan Yew (depending on which side you are on) with some massive propaganda at taxpayers' expense to perpetuate his godly image. And so it was with the mammoth PAP propaganda to honour the first anniversary of the death of PM Lee's father Lee Kuan Yew. True to its slavish character as a PAP propaganda organ, the Straits Times produced voluminous columns of celebratory articles extolling the so-called virtues of Lee Kuan Yew, the distinguished father of PM Lee. Who would want to read such a hugh amount of literary trash except the fanatical fans of the late Lee Kuan Yew who had nothing better to do? But then the Straits Times could not be seen as lagging in pandering to their political masters.

You find that all the celebratory events were dominated by PAP minister like Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Chan Chun Seng. Tharman was so comical in highlighting the quirkiness of Lee Kuan Yew over some bougainvilia plant that he could have passed off as a stand-up comedian. Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang stood out like a sore thumb, a forlorn opposition figure among past and present PAP parliamentarians in the old Parliament House. Does Low honestly believe in Lee Kuan Yew's character and so-called achievements and adultaes him like the PAP leaders?

Clearly, this was purely a mammoth PAP show to idolise their late leader who started off promisingly as a founding prime minister. But it was debatable if he had stood steadfastly in his original principles which had led to a lot of sufferings and unhappiness among a considerable section of the society. Except for Low Thia Khiang whose stand is questionable, no opposition leaders had shown any inclination to participate in the honour of someone regarded by the PAP as a national hero but regarded by them as an antithesis. Then there are those who had suffered inordinately under his rule and their families and supporters. And a considerable number who consider him an autocratic ruler.

PM Lee Hsien Loong is really keen to portray his late father Lee Kuan Yew as the Father of Singapore. He would have liked his father to be accepted in the same manner as the late Dr. Sun Yat-sen had been respected by the Chinese people as the Father of China. There is no way that Lee Kuan Yew can be compared with Dr. Sun Yat-sen in character and achievements, especially in the way Dr. Sun was idolised by the Chinese. One is a titan and the other is,well, a dwarf by comparison.